My recent post about Medicare allowing patients to use drug vouchers was met by a rousing reception.
By crickets.
It seems that some saw me as one who (gasp) trusted the pharmaceutical companies to do something good. Has Dr. Rob lost (what's left of) his mind??
Drug companies do everything with themselves in mind, and there are always strings attached.

What should surgical professionals consider of when purchasing equipment booms to ensure their OR is adaptable for future upgrades and updates?
In a fast paced, quickly changing OR it is critical that all the components (including booms) be designed and constructed with as much “open architecture” as possible.

The ORwell™ Fluid Collection and Disposal System from Cardinal Health is a clean and simple solution for the safe handling of high-volume surgical fluid waste.
According to the company, the system provides:
Enhanced clinician and patient safety.
Reduction of the potential for cross contamination.

Reusable Transposal canisters from Dornoch Medical Systems replace disposables everywhere they are used in a facility. Two sizes are available – 1800 and 2800cc. Each canister collector body is made of high-impact resistant polycarbonate plastic with an expected life of five-years.

Aggressive treatment of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma has dramatically increased survival in the small group of patients who chose to undergo it. Researchers at Mayo Clinic say a nationwide clinical trial is also planned
Aggressive treatment of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma has dramatically increased survival in the small group of patients who chose to undergo it, say physicians at Mayo Clinic.

Marilynn Marchione, AP Medical Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — Doctors are reporting a key advance in treating men with cancer that has started to spread beyond the prostate: survival is significantly better if radiation is added to standard hormone treatments.
Results of the study were given Sunday at a cancer conference, where other research showed that an experimental drug boosted survival for women with very advanced breast cancer.

WASHINGTON (AP) — "Why did they cut you?"
The shocking question came from a respected spine surgeon tracked down by Keith Swenson, who was still in severe pain after an earlier back operation.
He didn't know what to believe. Two other surgeons had urged more operations, different ones.

Health News Florida reports Monday that the board said Bernard Zaragoza is a good doctor, but he had bad luck. A state hearing officer recommended a penalty of a $5,000 fine and 50 hours of community service.
Zaragoza has to reimburse the state $25,000 for the state's costs of investigation and prosecution.

Using 3D scanning technology, engineers have developed a new treatment for severe cleft lip and palate that reduces the cleft width before surgery without inhibiting upper-jaw growth.
June 7, 2010
One of the first babies to receive the new cleft lip and palate treatment, during his initial visit to Shriners Hospital.

When D., a woman in her mid-30s, learned that she was dying from complications of AIDS, she fully expected that her life would end in much the same way it had been lived: homeless, alone and among strangers.
If it hadn’t been for Dr. Jason K. Alexander, a medical student at the time, she might have been right.

DeRoyal SafeLiner Semi-Rigid canisters boast a safe design and offer a reduction in red bag waste. Patented adhesive on the disposable lid keeps fluids secure, preventing costly clean-ups, and providing a spill safe product for all clinicians. A filter technically proven to prevent backflow of aspirated fluids into hospital vacuums is innovative and a part of every canister created by DeRoyal.

The Laparoshield Laparoscopic Smoke Filtration System is a passive smoke evacuation system which removes particulate, cells, virus and odor causing chemicals from surgical smoke generated in laparoscopic procedures while maintaining a clear field of vision.

An NYU Medical Center doctor phoned her bosses' weight-loss surgery patients on the eve of their operations to warn them they could end up dead. Surgical resident Neelu Pal was so spooked after a lap-band surgery patient died in 2006 that she spent the weekend anonymously phoning patients scheduled for surgery that Monday.